The
LEAST approach to classroom discipline is a simple survival
strategy for the teacher.It is a response to teachers’ urgent pleas for quick and
easy methods they can use in the face of mounting discipline
problems.Succinctly stated in the words of one teacher, “We must
survive before we can grow.”It involves the “least” methods that should be employed
to facilitate and maintain classroom control.LEAST is an acronym for the following activities of the
teacher:

ALWAYS track students' progress. For one thing, this is an
excellent way to let students know that you're paying attention to
them. For another, tracking progress is the only way you can
determine whether or not a specific disciplinary approach has been
successful.

What does “Track
Student Progress” Mean?

Tracking students'
progress means seeing how students are behaving in the minutes, hours,
and even days following their involvement in some type of disciplinary
situation. There are four different activities in which the
teacher may engage here: evaluating new behavior of the students
involved (Are they doing what you asked?", following through on
previously outlined consequences (if the students are not doing as you
requested); providing positive reinforcement in a direct (e.g., praising
more constructive behavior) or indirect manner (e.g., giving the student
a chance to lead a discussion); and keeping the "track
record.".

Why Track Student
Progress?

Handling disciplinary problems without
checking out the results of your actions is like trying to carry on a
conversation without being able to hear the other person's comments:
after awhile you can no longer tell whether you're having any
constructive impact. Only by tracking the progress of students who
have been involved in the problems can you learn how effective your
disciplinary efforts are -- and how they must be modified to achieve
better results..

How Can You Track Student Progress?

As indicated above, tracking students'
progress may involve the teacher in as many as four different
activities. Let's consider each activity in turn.

Evaluating
New BehaviorWhen you choose to ignore an undesirable behavior, you do so
because you're convinced that behavior will disappear without your
intervention. When you act to resolve a problem, you expect
the student or students involved to behave more constructively in
the future. In either case, you will need to follow up to make
sure the situation really has improved. The simplest way to do
this is to observe and listen to the student and try to answer some
questions. If you either did not act on the original incident
or merely stopped the action without giving directions for future
behavior, you'll want to answer the question, "Is this student
behaving better or worse than he/she was in the problem
situation?" If the student's behavior deteriorates or
remains unsatisfactory, you will need to provide some firm
guidance. If the student's behavior has improved, even if only
slightly, you will want to positively reinforce such improvement.

If you deal with the original problem by issuing directions you will
want to follow up by asking, "Is this student doing what I
requested?" If the problem recurs, you may need to
outline some consequences. If the student is not doing what
you requested but is still performing in a generally improved
manner, you'll need to decide whether you can live with the new
situation. If the student is doing as you requested, you will
certainly want to reinforce this new behavior.

Following Through on ConsequencesIt is probably inevitable that you will encounter some students
who cannot take direction. Billy is flicking the lights on and
off. You as him to stop and take his seat. He does, but
five minutes later he's at the light switch again. If you have
outlined the consequences of his actions, you will now have to
follow through: "Billy, I told you before that you would have
to come in after class if you continued flicking the lights.
And now I'm afraid that's just what you'll have to
do." Here again, it is important to help Billy understand
that he is solely responsible for the consequences of his actions.

Positively Reinforcing New BehaviorsIt is impossible to underrate the importance of rewarding
students for constructive behavior. We all would like to think
that being polite or talking softly, for example, are to be expected
and require no reward. Yet the truth is, all of us have added
most to our constructive behaviors when others have rewarded us for
doing those things. (Be honest: Doesn't a student chorus of,
"You really look sharp today" encourage us to dress that
way again?)

As a general rule, you should find ways to reinforce any student's
constructive behavior in the classroom. It is
particularly important to do so when a student who has been involved
in a problem situation develops some better activity. Only by
positively reinforcing the behaviors you want in the classroom can
you hope to perpetuate and promote them -- and to avoid that
familiar, mumbled criticism, "The teacher never pays any
attention to me unless I'm doing something wrong!"

You can positively reinforce students in two ways: directly and
indirectly:
a. Direct reinforcement makes it clear to the student
that you are pleased with a specific activity or
accomplishment. A comment on a paper -- "Good Job,
Karen!" -- may mean more to the student than the grade
itself. Vocal praise also serves to reinforce behavior
directly: "John, that was great. You were really paying
attention!"

b. Indirect reinforcement is more subtle, often
rewarding the student without explicitly linking the reward with the
constructive behavior. Here you might reward a student who has
overcome a problem by giving him or her a new responsibility such as
leading a discussion or organizing a project. Or you might
simply give the student an extra smile and make sure you call on him
or her for comments.

Direct reinforcement will be translated by the student into a
principle along the lines of, "If I act like this, I'll get
that." Indirect reinforcement, in contrast, often means,
"When I'm doing well, good things tend to happen."

Try to develop a list of as many direct and indirect means of
reinforcing students in your class as possible. A word of
caution here: Remember that your reinforcements must be considered
positive from the student's point of view. You may think
that collecting papers from the class is a rewarding task, but your
post-problem student may see the reward as a "real drag."

See the rest of OPTION #5 in our next issue!

Watch
for more on the LEAST APPROACH coming up in the next issue!

A Great Offer
to Our StarTeaching Readers
From Kim's Signing Solutions!

Star
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Hank
Kellner is a retired teacher of English who
has served as a department chair at the high school level and an
adjunct associate professor of English at the community college
level.

He is the former publisher of Moneygram,
a marketing newsletter for photographer. He is also the
creator of many photographs and articles that have appeared in
publications nationwide, the author of extensive reading
comprehension materials for a publisher of educational
materials, and a former contributor to Darkroom Photography
magazine. His self-syndicated series, Twelve Unknown
Heroes of the American Revolution appeared in more than
fifty newspapers and magazines nationwide.

Kellner's most recent publication, Write What
You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing, is marked by Prufrock
Press. His blog appears regularly at hank-englisheducation.blogspot.com.

The purpose of Hank's most
recent work, Reflections, is to inspire student
writing through the use of poetry and photography.

Most of the poems and photos have been submitted by students,
teachers, and others nationwide, though some are directly from
Hank. Although Reflections has not yet been
published, all of its contents are copyrighted. Teachers
are free, however, to download selected contents for use in
their classrooms.

Each selection will include a poem, a photograph, a direct
quotation, and four trigger words.

We at StarTeaching kindly thank Hank for his permission to
use the materials.

Where
I'm From

By
Lisa Logsdon

I’m from lake effect,
From cotton candy bombardmentsAnd blue crispy pathways.
I am from icicle trees,
Bending their branches to shake hands with the snow.
(shifting, shimmering, silence is loud).

I am from three dogs, four cats,
one horse and a chicken.
They all had their tricks when we had the right treats.

I am from the tire swing,
From cider-drenched air, cicada’s tambourines,And the hot sawdust perfume of grandpa’s
garage.
I am from clothesline windows and berry bush curtains,From settle down and speak up,
And children are seen but not heard.
I’m from the clean plate club,
Where the amount of my love equals the amount that I
eat.

I’m from Parkman,
Burton
and
Troy
,
From launching rocks at the sun like a fish out of
water.
I’m from my father’s greasy hands
That threw softballs with the fireflies.
I’m from my mother’s good faith,
And achievements without payoff.
I’m from a one-armed coat hanger,
from unfinished business.
I’m a work in progress,
Painting on the canvas of my life.

Photo 9 By Hank Kellner

“Some
people are your relatives but others are your ancestors,
and you choose the ones you want to have as ancestors.
You create yourself out of those values”
~Ralph Ellison

ANCESTORS
HISTORY SELF
GRANDPARENTS

Smoldering
Grass and Slithering Mice

By Martha Walker

Who can understand their dreams?The dark man on the corner leans
Against the house under the stars
He hears the sound of dancing cars.

They jump and leap and spin around.
The quiet man lies on the ground.
In his hand he holds a stick
The man performs a magic trick.

The stars burst open in the sky
While nearby flies a butterfly,
And the grass goes up in the flames
The man sighs and his head hangs.

I watch him secretly from the cave
His body limp I try to save.
The stoplight hisses green and red
The noisy message hurts my head.

A hawk hops toward the ground.The mouse slithers without a soundMoonbeams toward the corner flyAround the bend and pierce my eye.

The dark man stands facing the
door.
He’s finished leading his final tour.
The people, worthless, stop and standAnd I hold a stick in my hand

Photo 8 by Hank Kellner

"If I create from the heart, nearly
everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.”

- Marc Chagall

DARKNESS
ALONE
DESPONDENT SECRET

Copyright
2009 Hank Kellner

These poem/photo combinations are from
Hank Kellner's upcoming publication, Reflections: A Collection of Poetry, Photos, and
More.

Hank
Kellner is the author of
Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing. Published by Cottonwood Press ( I-800-864-4297)
and distributed by IndependentPublishers Group, Write What You See includes a supplementary CD with photos. 8 ½ x11,
120 pages, perfect binding, ISBN 978-1-877-673-83-2, LCCN
2008938630. $24.95. Available at bookstores, from the publisher,and on the Internet at www.amazon.comand
other websites.
Ask
your school or local librarian to order it.Visit the author’s
blog at http://hank-englisheducation.com.
The author will contribute a portion of the royalties earned
from the sale of this book to The Wounded Warriors Project.

There
are six modules designed to test the basic ability of an
individual in terms of Memory & Concentration. Needless to
say this is the most important basic skill for not just to
survive but also to thrive in this competitive environment.
Each of the six modules tests the six variants of Memory &
Concentration in an individual, namely:

1.

Picture
recognition

2.

Paired Associate
Learning

3.

Immediate Recall

4.

Serial processing

5.

Parallel
processing

6.

Recognition and
Recall

Each
of these modules runs at three different levels, from easy to
difficult.

At each level, the individual's performance is depicted as
Scores Obtained.

A feedback has been built into the software for all these 18
levels depending on the marks one scores during the
test.

Each individual can assess his/her performance any time by
clicking on "history", which gives complete details
of date and time of taking the tests, marks scored each time
and even time taken to do the test. This builds the confidence
level and encourages more participation to eventually
culminate in improvement and enhancement of memory and
concentration.

Essentially, this software is a SELF AWARENESS tool that
surely motivates the individual to realize one's capability
and seek or be receptive for improvement. Also, if repeatedly
done over a period of time works as Training tool to enhance
their capability.

This
software package is specifically designed to help young
children to learn basic skills that will help them in
school. Continued follow-up will give these young
learners success as they mature.

Three versions of the software exist:
Individual Software on either CD or Online, Family
Version Software, and an Institutional Software package.

StarTeaching wholeheartedly supports
and endorses this software. It will make a difference
with your child or student.

Jerry
Judge is a Affiliate
Professor with Grand Valley State University.
Prior to this he was a High School principal at L'Anse ,
Kalkaska and Royal Oak for a total of 25 years. During
his tenure in education he has observed many changes and
has had the opportunity to work with many outstanding
teachers in Northern Michigan. His position with Grand
Valley is to work with educators on leadership and
writing articles on leadership for all educators.

I had a conversation with one of the superintendants I had to opportunity to work with, Larry Nichols,
Superintendent of Royal Oak. During that conversation he made the statement , “ When you tell the
truth you don’t have to remember what you told the other guy”. Today in education this quote makes
even more sense. How many time have we observed leaders caught in statements that contradicted
what they have previously reported.

During the years I served as a high school principal I found that the more correct information the
staff received the less likely that rumors will start. I once heard it said about an organization, “ If you
haven’t heard a rumor by 10:00 O’clock , start one”. Of course some information may be confidential
and is not available to everyone, and this information should not be shared. But there is other
information important to the staff that should be given at appropriate times. It is important that the
leaders let the staff know though emails and staff meetings of what is taking place. This is especially
true during financial situations that affect the personnel and their employment

Recently I had a conversation with an administrator that had been a teacher in the building where I
was principal. At that time he was head basketball coach with a win/ loss record that was less than
successful. I had a conversation with him at the end of his season, I instructed him that he was a good
coach, but people were starting to complain about the lack of success. Before the conversations become
uncomfortable or hostile, I instructed him to resign from that position and try another sport. I suggested
that when he would like to return as head coach he would be given the opportunity. He did resign and
went on to become a very successful volley ball and golf coach. Recently I had a conversation with this
individual and he brought up how much he appreciated me telling him the truth .

Sometimes it is uncomfortable to learn the truth, but often if given in a respectful way the truth usually
works for everyone.

Grand Valley offers a Masters in Educational Leadership in Boyne City and Cadillac. If you would like to find out more about our program feel free to contact me
at: jjudge2935@charter.net
or call me at 231-258-2935.

Many of the topics we will present will be for teachers seeking and administration position and for recently appointed administration. I will also receive comments from those who have just completed their first year as administrators. Since the program in Northern began eleven years ago we have placed over 60 GVSU graduates in administration positions.

Student
Teachers' Lounge:
For The Things They Don't Teach You In College

Learning
Pods and Classroom Setup

Setting
up small learning groups, or communities, in your class requires
planning, not just in your instruction, but also in the physical
space of your room.

When
I decided to change my teaching style from a teacher-centered, lecture
format to a student-centered, project format, I had to seriously
contemplate how my room and its instructional resources were arranged.

I
knew I wanted to set up student 'pods' of four to five students.Four makes a great sized group, but five is starting to push it.These sizes also fit with the number of computers I had
available.Each pod needed
one computer for the group to use, as well as work space, achieved by
placing desks next to each other forming a table.

I
placed the pods at the outside walls for a few important
reasons.First
was to get some elbow space between students and groups.

"The
'traditional' classroom and the 'student-centered' classroom
are very different both in philosophy and in the
application."

I
wanted to eliminate interaction between groups so students could
concentrate on their own group's activities.Secondly, this arrangement allowed me to monitor the computers at
all times.Third, this
setup created better traffic flow through the room, since students would
often need to move back and forth to the central resource center.

I've
set up the resource and presentation center in the center of the
classroom.This is where I
keep student file cabinets (the short types), dictionaries &
thesauri, school supplies, and art-type supplies.

I've
combined this storage area with my podium, overhead projector, and the
other tech equipment like vcr or dvd players,

"Having
previously taught in the traditional manner, I've found the
pod setup, or student-centered class, to be both a challenge
and a benefit to student learning."

digital
projectors, and the like.This allows for easy student access to all resources,
and I can effectively use all of my wall space when I need to
present material.

The
'traditional' classroom and the 'student-centered' classroom are very
different both in philosophy and in the application. The basics of
setting up your classroom to reflect the learning environment you've
envisioned must be thought through carefully before jumping right into
the pods.

Having
previously taught in the traditional manner, I've found the pod setup,
or student-centered class, to be both a challenge and a benefit to
student learning. Now that I've had a chance to compare them, my
students and I prefer the pods.

Mark
Benn earned his B.S. from Western
Michigan University and his Elementary Certification from
Northern Michigan University. He is a 20 year teaching
veteran of 5th and 6th grade students at Inland Lakes Middle
School in Indian River, MI. He finished his Masters of
Integration of Technology from Walden University.

Prior to teaching, Mark spent 11 years as
Department Manager for Sears, Roebuck and Co. dealing with
emerging technologies. He has been married to his wife
Bonnietta for 32 years with one daughter and two sons. In
the summers, Mark works for Mackinac State Historic Parks in the
as a historical interpreter.

Visual media used to be solely the product of movie
producers and large corporations. Today, a person can take their digital
video camera and film their project. They can then load it into their
computer and use an inexpensive program, such as iMovie, to edit their
film and add effects. For more extensive changes there are other
applications available for use at a higher cost, but still within the
everyday person's budget. Upon completion, they can take their movie and
upload it to YouTube.com
for everyone to view.

So what does this mean to education?

In the past, a student wrote an assignment for the
teacher to look at and grade. No one else would see it, so the whole
goal would be for a grade. Making movies was unheard of. Becoming a
published author was reserved for only those lucky enough to catch
someone's attention and interest that had the power to publish.

Now all that has changed and is available to everyone.
Classblogmeister.com,
gaggle.net,
or epals.com
provide safe places for teachers and students to go and speak their mind
and yet allow it to be under the teacher's control. If we, as teachers,
continue to do writing the old way it doesn't reach today's students.
This isn't how the real world works. If our goal is to get students to
become better writers and get excited about writing, we need to provide
real world experiences for them.

Mark Benn earned his B.S. from Western
Michigan University and his Elementary Certification from
Northern Michigan University. He is a 21 year teaching
veteran of 5th and 6th grade students at Inland Lakes Middle
School in Indian River, MI. He is currently working on
Masters of Integration of Technology from Walden University.

Prior to teaching, Mark spent 11 years as Department Manager for
Sears, Roebuck and Co. dealing with emerging technologies.
He has been married to his wife Bonnietta for 32 years with one
daughter and two sons. In the summers, Mark works for
Mackinac State Historic Parks in the as a historical
interpreter.

Helen
de la Mazais a Curriculum and Instruction Consultant in southern
California with almost 15 years experience in the field of
education. She has written curricula and taught science,
environmental science, and environmental education to students
ranging in age from 4 to 85 years!

She believes that learning the process of
scientific thinking can help students think critically and be
careful observers of the natural and human-made world.

Helen earned an MS in Wildlife Science, an MA in
Curriculum and Instruction, California single subject teaching
credentials in Biological Sciences and English, and a multiple
subject credential. When she was in graduate school for her MS,
she realized that "interpreters" were needed to
communicate between the scientific community and lay people.
Much of her work has been focused on doing this through
teaching, training, and writing.

The Internet and World Wide Web provide the opportunity for massive amounts of information
to be distributed to a wide audience. In fact, so much information is available that it is
overwhelming to sort through! As a Science Educator you barely have enough time to plan
your curriculum and assess your students, let alone spend hours surfing the web looking for
great resources. The purpose of this new Science Feature in StarTeaching is to help you provide
excellent information, media, and lessons to your students that are already available on the web.

I’ll do the searching for you and highlight every couple weeks some Rad Resources for Science
Educators. Feedback is appreciated! Email me at: delamazah@earthlink.net

Standardized Science Testing Focus

For many teachers across the United States, standardized testing occurs in April or May. Below
are some resources to help you and your students practice and prepare.

National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Released Questionshttp://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/default.aspxAfter each assessment, NAEP releases dozens of sample questions to the public—more than
2,000 questions are currently available. The tools featured here can be used to supplement
classroom instruction, provide additional insight into the content of the assessment, and show
what students nationally or in your state or district know and can do.

A Nation at Risk was the popular title of the 1983 report of
President Ronald Reagan's National Commission on Excellence in
Education. The report called for greater federal support of
education and included the claim that the nation was threatened
by "a rising tide of mediocrity." Ironically,
President Reagan used the occasion of the release of the report
to introduce a series of education reforms, including many that
were later adopted by Congress, although they were not
specifically included in the report.

One of the most quoted portions of this report came from the
introduction just after the "rising tide" remark. It
said, "If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to
impose on America the mediocre educational performance that
exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war. As
it stands, we have allowed this to happen to ourselves. We have
even squandered the gains in student achievement made in the
wake of the Sputnik challenge. Moreover, we have dismantled
essential support systems which helped make those gains
possible. We have, in effect, been committing an act of
unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament."

The following five recommendations were made by the
report:

1. Content: Recommended that the graduation
requirements for all students be raised to include 4 years of
English, 3 years of mathematics, 3 years of science, 3 years of
social studies, 1 semester of computer science, and for college
bound students 2 years of foreign language.

2. Standards and Expectations: Schools should expect
better academic performance and behavior from students and
universities should strengthen admissions requirements.

3. Time: More time should be spent on the new
required courses by being more efficient and by lengthening the
school day and year.

4.Teaching: A series of recommendations that focused
around teachers being better prepared.

5. Leadership and Fiscal Support: A call to citizens
to hold educational leaders responsible be willing to provide
the fiscal resources needed to implement the outlined reforms.

The legends of the Michigan Dogman come alive in six haunting
tales by folklore author, Frank Holes, Jr.Based upon both mythology and alleged real stories of the
beast, this collection is sure to fire the imagination!

Spanning the decades and the geography of the
Great Lakes
State
, Frank weaves:

A mysterious police report of an unsolvable death in
Manistee
County

A
terrifying encounter in the U.P.’s remote
Dickinson
County

A BLOG,
begun as one man’s therapy, becomes a chronicle of sightings
from around
Michigan

A secret
governmental agent investigates the grisly aftermath of Sigma

A pioneer
family meets more than they expected on the trail north

A
campfire tale of ancient betrayal handed down through the Omeena
Tribe

Salima
Moosa Sewani
has been in the field of teaching for 8 years. She is running
her own Learning Center and also working with the Exceptional
People in Pakistan. She is a Master Trainer and has done many
teaching certifications.

Teaching
is indeed a much respected but a challenging profession. The
knowledge and expertise of a
teacher helps him/her to fight back the challenges, but a positive
‘learning’ attitude is also required. I believe that we all are in a
learning process. Every day we learn something new by making mistakes.

If
challenges are taken as problems, then a teacher might not be able to
learn and move ahead. Accepting challenges creates
opportunities for teachers not only to enhance their skills but to look
at the real world more intimately. Teaching is an open field and the
teacher is merely a player. To me, the player needs to be committed. Those
who can’t commit shouldn’t adopt this profession, because teachers
need to be role models, serve as leaders, and have the position akin to
parents. In this way, teachers rear the children they teach, providing
opportunities to students to sharpen their intellect, increasing
awareness about the need to be ethical. This is perhaps the most
challenging task for a teacher. My experience
has taught me to move on by accepting the challenges of this
‘challenging profession.

Here, I will try to focus on the challenges of curriculum and classroom
interaction, which I faced during my 8 years of teaching in religious
and secular schools.

I find the area of curriculum very wide. The challenges for a teacher
regarding the implementation of curriculum in a class is the foremost
debate not only in
Pakistan
, but worldwide. There are several ideas in the mind of Pakistani
bureaucrats regarding planning and implementing the curriculum. But the
question is, is there any proper curriculum prepared by any ministry,
which could fully satisfy the expectations of children and teacher?

The
curriculum is not planned according to the social needs of the youth.
The challenge for a teacher is to implement the curriculum as forced, in
accordance with the instructions of the authorities. A loyal teacher
would implement the guided curriculum with the integration of his/her
knowledge and study, so that they could prepare the solid leaders for
the future generation. I believe that at the stage of learning,
curriculum should be designed in such a way, which can produce the
required skilled manpower for the future need of our country. In
Pakistan
, the students don’t have opportunities for practical work. After they
complete the secondary school stage, many of them begin to search for a
clerical type of job. Consequently unemployment and frustration becomes
their fate. This is a real challenge for a teacher: to prepare students
according to the needs of the future so that they can get good
opportunities on the basis of their knowledge and skills. A real
challenge of a teacher is to initiate curriculum in such a manner that
it develops the ‘character’ of the individual. It isn’t only a
merit degree which makes a person charismatic. It is the character
building, which is the true missing asset, for which, teachers are
continuously playing their role.

When
I was teaching at
Karachi
Kids
University
, I observed children were not taking an interest in studies because the
curriculum, which I taught was totally theoretical and based on rote
learning. I observed that the children learning were slow and the
teachers teaching speed were expeditious. According to my observation,
children think that education is the heaviest burden on them. After my
observation, I took a challenge to add something fascinating, which can
be used as a supporting aid of teaching the curriculum. I integrated all
lesson plans with my co- teachers, in which our main focus was to attain
objectives through activities. We kept in mind the interest of the
students. Gradually, the students started taking an interest toward
learning subjects without feeling it a burden.

Curriculum is to provide knowledge and skills, which can satisfy
intellect. In order to develop good reading habits, we planned a mini-
library, where donated books were kept.Students were encouraged to read stories and informative books.
To make reading literature interesting, we also developed 'pop-up
reading skills', in which each student was given a chance to read a text
loud and afterwards throw the 'pop-up' cotton ball to another classmate,
whom s/he wants to read next. This successful technique not only
developed interest, but also activated students in class room
participation.

The second challenge regarding curriculum is to face the inappropriate
content in our text books. Muhammad Ilyas Khan says,

“The whole education process in our primary and secondary school
revolve around the textbooks which mostly are bad written and poorly
presented. They are boring for the students as well as the teachers who
use them. They seldom arouse any interest among students. As a result
the teaching learning process becomes monotonous and lacks any active
involvement of the students.”

I
agree, because the challenge for a teacher is to implement curriculum
through learning based activities so the students will take the
interest. Students in
Pakistan
feel boredom when the teacher makes them to open their book and to learn
things by heart only. The only thing which can make them survive
intellectually is just a bit of effort and initiative of a teacher to
study and plan lessons effectively.

If you will go through the book of general science, most of the topics
which are being added, are irrelevant. I took a little initiative and
wrote a workbook of General Science, keeping in view the National
curriculum objectives. I just made the irrelevant topics precisely,
which helped few of the schools in
Karachi
to teach students specifically with specialization rather than
generalization. I think that diverse knowledge is good to boost a
child's capability.

The people who design our curriculum are specialists in their subjects
with Masters and Doctorate degrees. But the curriculum must be designed
with specific objectives.It
is the duty of the government to make changes in our curriculum while
asking the teachers, who are the real manifesto planners, so that the
teachers can face this challenge with the role in it. But nobody is
taking immediate action due to which teachers and students both are
facing a lot of hindrance.

I
suggest that a curriculum should have some ethical values to foster in
them a pride in belonging to the nation, an understanding of its history
and aspirations, and the eagerness to serve it. Curriculum should be
such as to facilitate the full development of the personality of child
and there aims can be achieved if education at this stage is directed
towards the objectives.

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"Power of Teaching"

By Dr. Frank
Trujillo
Themes
on Life

Ours
is a truly powerful calling...

I feel sometimes powerless and small,
overwhelmed and inadequate, engulfed in thoughts and feelings that perhaps
what I am doing is insignificant, that my life's pursuit, that my teaching,
is futile.

And I say "Who and I to change the world? Who am I to think that I can
make a difference?"

And then I reflect on the young people under my charge, and I think about my
role and about what power, if any, I have.

And I find that I am not devoid of resources or strength, that I am, indeed,
endowed with talent and ability and strength.

I do, after all, decide what will be taught. No one else. And it is largely
my prerogative when it will be taught and how, and where, and why it will be
taught.

To a great extent I determine the curriculum. And the richness and intensity
with which it is taught is in my hands.

I have that power.

And I have the ability to think and to plan and then to implement; to select
from my repertoire of skills the one best suited to my purpose, yet still
able to adapt myself to student needs with the dexterity of an artisan.

Most adults would be fortunate to perhaps last out one day overseeing a
roomful of kids. My orchestration makes enlightened music of the chaotic
din.

I guess you could say this is power!

I have the power. I have the vigor to motivate, the fullness to laugh, the
courage to control. I have the power to uplift and to create and, when I'm
red-hot, the intensity to inspire! I can form my students into lines or
circles, triangle or squares.

My influence is such I can turn their very feelings into F's or A's.

With just one look I can let a student know that everything is well with the
world and that he or she has a perfect right to aim for the very top of it
all!

And I can use my hands, turned up to lift them up. Or turned down to keep
them down.

What power do I have in the system? In the eyes of my students I am the
system.

And I have the power to lead them places they did not know existed, to build
them back up when society tears them down, to catapult them higher than I
myself will ever reach; and to push them gently, but assuredly, into the
unknown, painting for them in broad brush strokes a future I can never hope
to see.

And every day I have the wherewithal in my classroom to build walls or to
build bridges between the generations.

And it is within my discretion to design a rigid, competitive structure or a
cooperative, helping network in my classroom.

I even affect the weather! What I do every day determines whether their
world will be indifferent cold or sweathouse hot, or warm, inviting, alive
and vibrant with learning.

I have an awesome power.

If I succeed I pass the knowledge about what is important to the next
generation. And, because their world will be the better for my labor mine is
an important service to a just cause.

Mine is a present power and a future power. If I can reach the children of
today I touch the children of tomorrow. Mine is a giving power.

All that I know about the world and about how one learns about the world I
must give.

And in the giving of my gift, I receive my greatest power: the power to
teach my students to learn how to learn.

Empowering them is o the essence, for if their teacher feels sometimes
powerless and small, how insignificant must they sometimes feel?

And when the last day comes, and it is time for us to part we gather
together, say our good-byes, and separate.

After that there is sadness but a certain contentment that I am sure only
teachers feel.

It is a happiness that comes from knowing that a part of us forever,
transplanted, lives... No, thrives! inside of each individual who has gazed
at us across tired brown desks and called us "Teacher."

Even on a down day -- when I'm feeling puny and insignificant-- even I try
hard to remember that all it takes is one person -- just one person! -- to
make a difference in their lives.

And, there is no reason in the world that that person cannot and should not
be me! I can make a difference! That is my power. That is the power to
teach.

What's New @ StarTeaching?

Hello readers! Welcome to your
first March issue of Features For Teachers for 2011!

This
month, we bring another great poetry/photograph selection from Hank Kellner
from his upcoming
book, Reflections. We also have a great set of science resources by Helen de la Maza, these ones
themed by Standardized Testing.

You'll also find great articles from
Jerry Judge and Mark Benn, as well as from guest writers Salima Moosa
Sewani and Robert
Carkhuff.

As
always, we have free activities (from Mary Ann Graziani and Frank Holes
Jr.) and articles with practical ideas
and techniques to be applied directly into your classroom.

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Tony is a teacher who
wants to make education effective, relevant, and fun. He knows
handhelds are small computers that can make a big difference in
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teachers to use technology that students crave.